Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2025

CONTACT: press@securedemocracyusa.org

Texas Senate Creates More Government Red Tape for Voters, Election Officials

S.B. 16 would mandate documentary proof of citizenship to vote and create confusion for voters and local election officials 

Today, the Texas Senate passed S.B. 16, which would mandate Texas’s 18.6 million registered voters – and all future voters – provide documentary proof of citizenship to cast a ballot. In response, Secure Democracy USA Senior Policy Director Daniel Griffith issued the following statement:

“Texas already has strong checks and balances that ensure secure and verified elections. S.B. 16 would impose an excessive mandate on voters to show documentary proof of citizenship to vote –  in most cases, a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. This could block hundreds of thousands of citizens who do not have access to the documents or cannot navigate the government red tape to get them. 

“The bill also creates an unfunded mandate for local election officials, forcing them to process unnecessary paperwork and maintain a more complicated voter list. After a secure and fair 2024 election increased Americans’ trust in our democratic process, Texas lawmakers should avoid legislation that will only create chaos and confusion.”

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Secure Democracy USA is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization building stronger elections, state by state. We advocate for practical election policy solutions guided by research and supported across the ideological spectrum.